Food Science & Technology

Juices and purees are the typical value-added products from the Northwest berry crop.These products have generally been considered safe from pathogenic bacteria because of their high acid content. However, recent outbreaks of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella spp. in apple and orange juices have challenged the belief that high acid foods cannot harbor viable pathogenic bacteria. Due to the acidic similarity of berry juice (pH 3.0-4.5), apple juice (pH 3.0-4.0), and orange juice (pH 3.0-4.0), there is concern that berry juice could also act a s a vector for foodborne illness.

Contaminations of fresh fruits with potentially life-threatening pathogens is a major food safety problem. Currently, there is an urgent need for determining the modes of contamination, developing intervention

strategies to destroy pathogens in fresh and processed fruits, and delivering relevant information to farmers and processors.

Faculty at the Department of Food Science and Technology (Drs. Yanyun Zhao, Mark Daeschel, Cindy Bower, and John Henry Wells), Oregon State University has recently received an award from the USDA Integrated Research, Extension, and Education program to ensure the microbial safety of Northwest berries and berry products.

The goal of this three year integrated research, education and Extension project is to enhance and ensure the safety of Northwest fresh and processed berries.

Four specific objectives for this project are:

To determine the modes of contamination of Northwest fresh berries with specific examination of E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella spp. at the point of harvest, and to evaluate the survival of E.coli O157:H7 and Salmonella spp. in unpasteurized berry juice and puree.
To develop and validate effective disinfection methods, individually and in combination, for decontaminating berries harboring human pathogens.
To develop and validate intervention treatments based on the hurdle principle that results in 5-log 10 -unit reduction in the number of E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella spp. in unpasteurized berry juices and puree.
To develop and deliver a new university course on food safety and sanitation which will be web based and available to other educational institutions. The food safety issues of fresh and processed berry products will receive particular attention.
To develop and implement training and educational workshops for a targeted audience of berry growers, handlers, processors, distributors, inspectors, and regulators to reduce the hazards associated with fresh and processed berry products. HACCP training will be the main focus with the integration of GAP, GMPs, and SSOPs for the production of fresh berries and processing of berry products.